Fantasy Blacksmith
- March 8, 2019
- Heaven Brotherhood
- 9h median play time
Get on Steam"Fantasy Blacksmith" is a simulation game where players run their own fantasy blacksmith shop. Craft and upgrade weapons, meet unique customers, and manage resources to grow your business. Immerse yourself in a rich fantasy world filled with magic, mystery, and epic adventures.
Nintendo Switch
PC
Steam Deck
Windows
Xbox One
Xbox
Reviews
- Unique and engaging concept of blacksmithing with various customization options for swords.
- Relaxing gameplay that allows for creativity and experimentation in crafting.
- Active developer engagement with the community and regular updates to address bugs and improve the game.
- Numerous bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay, including items disappearing and controls being unresponsive.
- Poorly designed tutorial that fails to adequately guide players through the mechanics of the game.
- Repetitive gameplay loop with limited content, leading to a lack of long-term engagement and enjoyment.
- stability184 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is widely criticized, with numerous players reporting it as "buggy" and "unfinished," often describing it as a "mess" plagued by glitches that significantly hinder gameplay. While some users acknowledge improvements through patches, many still find the controls clunky and the overall experience frustrating due to persistent issues. Despite its potential and enjoyable concepts, the game's stability remains a major barrier to a satisfying experience.
“I'll put it bluntly; the game's a buggy mess, even when it's working properly.”
“The fact the game is ridiculously buggy, poorly optimized, and then the creators had the audacity to release a DLC pack for a game that should, for all intents and purposes, still barely be an early access product is absolutely insulting.”
“I have to warn you that this game is so buggy that it is nigh unplayable.”
- gameplay154 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players highlighting significant issues such as a confusing tutorial, poor UI, and numerous bugs that detract from the overall experience. While some mechanics, like forging, show potential and can be engaging, the repetitive nature of tasks and lack of polish lead to frustration and monotony. Overall, the game offers a compelling concept but suffers from execution problems that overshadow its enjoyable aspects.
“The game itself is a lot of fun with fun mechanics and ways of doing all the steps of making the swords from choosing drafts to applying a damascus steel to your blade as well as various types of magic to apply.”
“Intuitive controls, great gameplay, runs on even the least capable machines :)”
“It actually looks pretty good, and I freely admit that the gameplay is actually really fun; I'm going to keep playing the hell out of it because it's a blast to design and make swords.”
“The gameplay is fine at first, until you realize it's a constant cycle of waiting.”
“This game eventually becomes monotonous; the mini-games are not that fun, it's extremely dark so the lack of light makes it hard to see anything, the tutorials aren't very clear with some mechanics, and worst of all: the game is riddled with a lot of bugs.”
“While the general idea of the game is very good, its execution is lacking. The game itself is highly buggy, the swords you craft look like cylinders, and the gameplay forces you to wait around a lot of the time doing nothing (waiting for purchases of material, or for clients), making it an overall tiring and unfun experience.”
- graphics114 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the pleasant aesthetics and decent quality, while others criticize the visuals as simplistic or poorly integrated, particularly the anime-style characters that clash with the overall design. Many users note performance issues, such as lag at higher settings, and mention that the graphics, while not groundbreaking, are generally easy on the eyes. Overall, the game shows potential for improvement, but it currently suffers from inconsistencies and a need for polish.
“Fun game with great graphics.”
“I'm just in love with the graphics, they are just great.”
“High-quality graphics, cool gameplay.”
“The graphics are poor, the assets are cheap (likely even free), and the gameplay is too slow and boring to be at all rewarding or fun.”
“Bad lighting, ugly graphics, poor tutorializing, sloppy controls, and worst of all everything is just incredibly slow and awkward to do.”
“It's full of bugs, glitches, the graphic compartment is barely acceptable and the price is too high for the current amount of content!”
- grinding70 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being tedious and repetitive, with many players expressing frustration over the cumbersome controls and poorly designed mini-games. While some find satisfaction in the crafting process, the overall experience is marred by excessive back-and-forth tasks and unbalanced progression, leading to a sense of monotony. Improvements in the grinding mechanics and a more engaging system are highly desired by the community.
“Gameplay was very tedious and annoying with the constant back and forth of putting the sword part into the fire, and putting it on the anvil over and over again was tedious.”
“The main aspect of playing the game is tedious; you have to hammer out 10 points on a bar and reheat it a few times until it's fully forged into a blade.”
“Having to wait anywhere between 2 and 5 minutes for another customer to appear, only to not buy the sword you've just made or want one you can't make or afford to make yet is beyond tedious.”
- music60 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players finding it suitable for background ambiance while others criticize it as repetitive and annoying. Many users express frustration over the inability to adjust or turn off the music, leading them to seek alternative audio sources. Overall, while the soundtrack contributes to the game's atmosphere, it is often described as limited and lacking variety, detracting from the overall experience.
“Moreover, the soundtrack, as for me, was chosen really correctly and certainly for such a game.”
“An impressive atmosphere and idea, to be in the role of someone else, to get to know a new profession better, while with a pleasant soundtrack, I would like to have even more tasks and new types of swords.”
“3D graphics, interesting gameplay with various variations of the tasks of a real blacksmith to pleasant music.”
“Can't turn down or off the music.”
“Also, the soundtrack is terrible and I had to listen to something else, but this is the closest thing to a 'blacksmith simulator' that you're going to find.”
“Yes, the music is kind of droning and obnoxious (personally I just turn it off and put on some lofi in a web browser).”
- atmosphere26 mentions
- 54 % positive mentions
- 35 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive and fitting design, effectively capturing the essence of a blacksmith's world with well-crafted textures and a compelling soundtrack. Players appreciate the relaxing and dark ambiance, which enhances the overall experience, making it a standout simulator despite the lack of a traditional plot. Many reviewers express a desire for more content to further enrich this captivating atmosphere.
“Coupled with a relaxing atmosphere, this game has the promise to be your next favorite chill-out game.”
“The setting and the soundtrack make the atmosphere quite dark.”
“Here you will feel the whole atmosphere of blacksmiths and castles of the past centuries!”
“However, the atmosphere hooked me right from the beginning and I was eager to play.”
- story16 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The game features minimal storytelling, with players primarily focused on the goal of becoming the best blacksmith rather than engaging in a narrative. While some users found the plot interesting enough to maintain their interest, the lack of objectives, quests, and guidance left many feeling disconnected and frustrated, particularly due to technical issues with certain quests. Overall, the absence of a cohesive story may appeal to those who prefer gameplay over narrative depth.
“The plot is interesting, so I did not have the opportunity to get bored.”
“...in regards to the front door quests you receive from the manga-style townspeople.”
“'Story' wise, your goal is to become the best blacksmith in all the land; sadly, you start out at such a deficit and your competition grows at such a rate that if you aren't constantly bending over for the 'once every 10 real-life minutes' customers, you're kind of screwed.”
“If you like games with little active guidance, virtually no story, and 0 reason to complete, this is the game for you.”
“No story, barely any kind of tutorial, and when the customer arrives, a dialogue box appears with an anime side image which feels completely alien to the rest of the game.”
“- there are no actual objectives in the game, no quests, and no events of any sort.”
- humor14 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is generally well-received, with players finding it unexpectedly funny, particularly through amusing customer interactions and quirky gameplay elements like flying characters. While some initially doubted the comedic potential of a mining simulator, many were pleasantly surprised by its humor and engaging, chill atmosphere. Overall, the game is described as a funny and enjoyable experience that can easily consume players' free time.
“This is a very funny simulator that can steal all your free time (as happened to me).”
“I liked this game, it's pretty funny.”
“It's a really chilling game and at the same time really funny and enjoyable.”
- monetization8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game is widely criticized as a cash grab, with users feeling that it primarily serves to promote the developers' other titles rather than offering genuine value. Many reviewers express frustration that the focus on monetization detracts from the overall experience, likening it to an abandonment of quality in favor of profit.
“It is mostly a cash grab for their other games.”
“Feels like a cash grab as they go work on another abandonware game.”
“They are cash grabbing this idea.”
- optimization6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The game is widely criticized for being extremely buggy and poorly optimized, with many players feeling it still resembles an early access title despite the release of a DLC pack. Users have reported persistent performance issues, particularly attributed to the Unity engine, leading to frustration over the lack of improvements since its initial launch. Overall, the optimization is seen as a significant drawback that detracts from the gaming experience.
“The fact the game is ridiculously buggy, poorly optimized, and then the creators had the audacity to release a DLC pack for a game that should, for all intents and purposes, still barely be an early access product is absolutely insulting, and they should in no way get your money.”
“Redownloaded this game to see if it had improved since 18 months previously when I uninstalled it due to its bugs, unoptimization, and general lack of content.”
“The single bad thing I can say about this game is simple graphics and some performance issues due to the engine being Unity, of course.”
- emotional4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players express frustration with the game's tutorial, describing it as poorly designed and leaving them feeling confused and inadequate. Additionally, technical issues, such as bugs affecting item spawning, contribute to a sense of emotional distress, as players struggle to enjoy the experience fully.
